OROVILLE — An Oroville murder suspect who was previously committed to a state hospital, has now been declared competent to stand trial.

Jose Leonci Castillo, 52, is charged with an open count of murder in the beating death of a 63-year-old man whose decomposed remains were found in October 2006 at a south Oroville railyard.

The suspect was arrested for the homicide after he asked a clerk at a truck stop in Utah to phone the police so he could confess to a railway murder in Oroville, according to District Attorney Mike Ramsey.

But when questioned by Utah authorities, Ramsey said that Castillo provided little other information before asking to speak to an attorney.

Mental evaluations were twice ordered for the homicide suspect, after his attorney continued to raise doubts about Castillo’s competence to understand the criminal charges and assist in his own defense.

Court records show that Castillo was declared incompetent to stand trial Jan. 23, 2007, based on doctor’s reports and was committed to Napa State Hospital.

Though the mental hospital declared him restored to competence earlier this year, the defense challenged that finding, prompting the court to have Castillo re-examined.